


The Pack

by julietophelia



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/M, Jughead: The Hunger inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23502133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julietophelia/pseuds/julietophelia
Summary: “So you guys are like a pack? Does that make my dad some kind of alpha wolf?”“That’s not a thing.”“Good. I don’t think I could get used to saying that out loud.”
Relationships: Jughead Jones & Toni Topaz, Jughead Jones/Toni Topaz
Kudos: 11





	The Pack

**Author's Note:**

> snippet from an old WIP

The scent of coffee overpowered everything else, bringing relief from the sensory overload outside. It was hard to hear anything over the noise. Still, he picked a corner table as far away from anyone else as possible so they wouldn't be overheard.

Toni sat in front of a plate crowded with three large cupcakes, each piled high with chocolate icing. She peeled away the wrapper and took a large bite from one, leaving a smudge of icing on her lip.

“You said you knew my dad.”

Toni nodded. “He turned me. Saved my life.”

“So you guys are like a pack? Does that make my dad some kind of alpha wolf?”

“That’s not a thing.”

“Good. I don’t think I could get used to saying that out loud.” 

“Wolf packs aren’t like that in nature.” Toni smiled at him over her espresso. “The parents stay with their cubs. They have families, like us.”

His father hadn’t stayed with him. He’d had to learn he was a monster all on his own, from waking up covered in Jason’s blood. He hadn’t even known there were other werewolves out there.

“Is my dad alive?”

He doesn’t know what answer he wants to hear. Jason could still be alive if someone had been there to tell Jughead what he was and help him deal with it. If his dad had just abandoned him, he wasn’t sure he could forgive him.

She placed a hand over his on the table. Her hands were soft, her nails short and painted silver. It was hard to imagine her with claws.

“He loves you so much, talked about you all the time. He wanted to be there for you.”

“He’d better have a really good excuse then.” Tears pricked at his eyes, and he fought them back. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Toni.

“I don’t think I should try to speak for him. Just hear him out, when you see him again.”

When. It sounded odd to him. He’d always thought of his father as an if. It sunk in, that his dad was really alive, that he could meet him.

“Do you know how to find him?”

She shook her head. “Not unless he was close enough to smell, and you’d probably know it first. He can’t keep in contact. It’s not safe.”

He looked down at their hands, hers still settled over his on the table. She looked down, too, and pulled her hand away. He missed the warmth of her touch.

“Could I—” He stumbled over the question he’d wanted to ask since yesterday. “I’ve been traveling alone, on the run. Would you mind if I went with you guys?”

She lit up the room with a stunning, dimpled smile. “We’d be offended if you didn’t.”

“I’ve got people after me. I don’t want to put you in danger.”

The cops thought he was a normal murderer and had a warrant out for his arrest. He was much more worried about Betty, who knew exactly what he was and exactly how to kill him.“

"We’re werewolves, Juggie. We’re always in danger.”

The nickname caught him off guard. The only people who had called him that before were Archie and Betty, before he’d left them behind. Before Betty learned he was a monster and held a gun to his head.

His discomfort must have shown, because she hesitated and her face fell. Damnit. Now she thought he didn’t like her.

He reached out for her hands. They were busy holding onto her coffee cup, so he brushed his fingertips awkwardly against her wrist.

“Thank you. For everything.”

She smiled again. “It’s no problem. We’re family.”


End file.
